If anyone is interested: The problem is that SAS locks the formats.sas7bcat file on the file system level, even if reading it from a read-only library, if the CATCACHE option is set to anything other than 0.   That SAS does this does not make sense to me at all.   Example:   Set this in your config file and start sas: CATCACHE=3K Specifies the number of SAS catalogs to keep open in cache memory.   Then run this code: libname lib_ro "[path to your formats directory]" ACCESS=READONLY;   proc datasets library=lib_ro memtype=(catalog); copy out=work; select formats; run;   Now open resource monitor in windows and search associated handles for formats.sas7bcat. You will find that SAS has locked the file.   Exit sas. Now search handles again, you will find that the lock is now released.   Then exit SAS, set the catcahe option to 0: CATCACHE=0 Specifies the number of SAS catalogs to keep open in cache memory.   And do the same proc datasets again, and check handles - this time the file is not locked.   I understand the need to lock a file if it's going to be written to. But locking a file that you're not going to write to does not make sense to me.             ... View more

My batch jobs that update formats are run in sequence, so they shouldn't be trying to update the formats at the same time.   In normal circumstances, it is not a problem. 99.99% of the time my batch jobs all work fine, both updating and using the formats is no issue.   It's when the process updating the format runs out of memory and dies, and leaves the file locked forever, that it's a problem, and I have to reboot in order to release the lock.           ... View more

Yes its a different lock.  That's why I'm asking how sas knows it is locked.   I've experimented with this and if I lock a catalog the sas7bcat file is locked by windows.  Windows should release file locks when the process dies, but maybe it does not always work. I thought I checked that the last time it happened, and found the sas7bcat file to be unlocked (I think I was able to rename it) but can't be 100% sure. I'll check for locked files in the OS the next time it happens.   The problem is, I have several batch jobs that all update the formats library. These jobs can't use an ACCESS=READONLY libname. All other jobs can use a readonly library.     ... View more

oops, typo in the last line, but the result is the same: 1 lock library.formats.catalog list; NOTE: LIBRARY.FORMATS.CATALOG is not locked or in use by you or any other users.     ... View more

Well, that would work if all you wanted was a copy of the formats. If you want to update the formats it does not work. I tried using proc copy to another location, like you described, and then tried copying it back to where it belongs:   NOTE: Copying LOCALCP.FORMATS to LIBRARY.FORMATS (memtype=CATALOG). ERROR: A lock is not available for LIBRARY.FORMATS.CATALOG. ERROR: File LIBRARY.FORMATS.CATALOG has not been saved because copy could not be completed.   SAS still claims that it is not locked by me:   3228 lock library.formats.catalog clear; ERROR: LIBRARY.FORMATS.CATALOG is not locked by you. 3229   In fact it claims it is not locked by anyone:   3230 lock localcp.formats.catalog list; NOTE: LOCALCP.FORMATS.CATALOG is not locked or in use by you or any other users.   ... View more